WELCOME TO THE ASSEMBLY
NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEES TWO
YEAR BILLIONS. I'M PLEASED TO
WELCOME OUR NEW COMMITTEE
MEMBERS. ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S BOW
BAUER-KAHAN SIMPLY MEMBER KALRA.
REMEMBER WICKS AND ALL OF OUR
RETURNING MEMBERS. WE HAVE TWO
MEASURES ON THE AGENDA TODAY.
EIGHT AND A NEW CHAIR. MAYBE 397
ASTLEY IS UP FOR RECONSIDERATION
AND WILL BE VOTING ONLY. I THINK
A QUORUM IS PRESENT. MADAM
SECRETARY, CAN WE ESTABLISH A
QUORUM? BRIAN HERE. BRIAN HERE,
FLORA. FLORIDA HERE. BAUER-KAHAN
HERE, FRIEDMAN. HOOVER FRIEDMAN
HERE, HOOVER. CHOLERA CALL RIGHT
HERE. MATHIS THIS HERE MATSUKI
MURATSUCHI HERE. PELLERIN.
PELLERIN HERE, WICKS. WOULD.
WOULD HERE WE HAVE A CORE. THANK
YOU, MADAM SECRETARY. CAN WE
CALL THE ROLL ON A B 397, WHICH
IS UP FOR RECONSIDERATION? THE
MOTION IS SO MAKE A MOTION
SECONDS. THANK YOU. MHM. THE
MOTION IS DUE PAST TWO
APPROPRIATIONS. BRIAN NO, BRIAN
NO FLORA FLORA, I BAUER-KAHAN
NOT VOTING. FRIEDMAN. FRIEDMAN
NO, HOOVER. CHOLERA CHOLERA? NO
MATHIS MATHIS EMERITUS UCI, NOT
VOTING PELLERIN. PELLERIN NO.
WICKS WOULD WOULD KNOW. IT WAS 2
TO 5. YEAH, WE'LL PUT IT ON
CALL. OUR LAST BILL TODAY, A B
1554. PATTERSON WILL BE
PRESENTATION ONLY. J PATTERSON,
EITHER. J PATTERSON. IF YOU'RE
WATCHING THIS, PLEASE COME TO
THE COMMITTEE ROOM. ROOM 447.
YEAH. YEAH.
VERY WELL. OKAY?
SO YOU. ANYBODY. OH, YEAH. YEAH.
NO, NOT. USC. JUST NO. YOU'RE
GOOD GOOD. THE NORTH VALLEY. I
GUESS THE CHAIR IS NOT GOING TO
BE SUPPORTING YOUR BUILDING. NOT
THAT HE WAS GOING TO BE ANYWAY.
KIND OF LIKE THAT.
THREE MINUTES.
JUST.
YES.
I MIGHT NEED GROUPING UP.
JACKIE.
YEAH. BECAUSE, YEAH.
IN PATERSON HAS ENTERED THE
BUILDING. AFTERNOON, SIR. YEAH I
HEAR YOU'RE HERE TO PRESENT A B
1554. PRESENTATION ONLY. YOU MAY
BE YET.
ALRIGHT ALRIGHT. PERFECT WELL,
THANK YOU, MR CHAIRMAN AND
COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR BEARING
WITH ME. IT'S A FIRST TWO YEAR
BILL I'VE HAD HERE SO APPRECIATE
PATIENTS. FOR ME HERE, UM, HERE
TODAY TO PRESENT A B 1554. THIS
WOULD ALLOW A SEQUEL EXEMPTION
FOR A FOREST MANAGEMENT, FUEL
LOAD PROJECTS AND AREAS THAT ARE
FROM MODERATE TO HIGH FIRE
SEVERITY ZONES AND 2019. AS YOU
MIGHT RECALL, GOVERNOR NEWSOM
REDUCE THE RED TAPE SO THE STATE
COULD EXPEDITE FOREST MANAGEMENT
PROJECTS AROUND 200 COMMUNITIES
IN CALIFORNIA. I REPRESENT BOTH
PLASTER AND ELDORADO COUNTY'S MY
DISTRICT AND AREAS AROUND IT
HAVE BEEN HOME TO SOME OF THE
LARGEST WILDFIRES IN THE STATE'S
HISTORY. CALDERON FIRE, FOR
EXAMPLE, BURNED NEARLY 222,000
ACRES AND LEVEL THE COMMUNITY OF
GRIZZLY FLATS, WHICH IS RIGHT
OUTSIDE MY DISTRICT. THE FIRE
COST THE STATE $2.1 BILLION.
THESE FIRES, CAUSING INSANE
AMOUNT OF PARTICULATE MATTER AND
CARBON TO BE RELEASED INTO THE
ATMOSPHERE, BUT THE HEALTH
EFFECTS EXTEND BEYOND THAT. FOR
EXAMPLE, WHEN THESE MASSIVE
WILDFIRES HIT OUR WATERSHEDS,
THE WATERWAYS AND RESERVOIRS ARE
FILLED WITH THE BREEZE. DEBRIS
THAT HAS TO BE DREDGED. IT COSTS
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO CLEAR THE
RESERVOIRS OF DEBRIS AND BRING
THE CAPACITY BACK TO NORMAL. I
HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO TOUR
THE WATERSHED AND PLASTER
ELDORADO AND SACRAMENTO VIA
HELICOPTER. IT WAS QUITE AMAZING
HOW DENSE THE FOREST IS. EQUALLY
IMPRESSIVE WAS THAT THE FIRE
AVOIDED MANY AREAS THAT WERE
PROPERLY MANAGED. AS A RESULT,
MANY WATER AGENCIES, FOR
EXAMPLE, ARE MOVING FORWARD TO
FORCE. MANAGEMENT PROJECTS
SIMPLY TO PROTECT OUR WATER
STORAGE AND WATER QUALITY. TWO
OF THOSE AGENCIES ARE IN MY
DISTRICT, THE PLASTIC COUNTY
WATER AGENCY AND THE ELDORADO
IRRIGATION DISTRICT. I PRINTED
HERE. THIS IS A 477 PAGE
ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENT THAT
SHOWS SOME OF THE LITTLE BIT OF
RIDICULOUSNESS THAT THE STATE
THAT AGENCIES HAVE TO GO THROUGH
TO MANAGE THE FOREST. UM THIS
PARTICULAR PROJECT WAS FOR 564
ACRES THAT RETREATED AT THREE
LOCATIONS WITHIN MY DISTRICT
WEBER RESERVOIR SLY PARK
RECREATION AREA, WHICH IS RIGHT
OUTSIDE AND CAMP, FIVE
MAINTENANCE YARD. IT'S A VERY
SIGNIFICANT DOCUMENT AND TOOK
JUST UNDER TWO YEARS TO COMPLETE
ALL THE WORK NECESSARY TO COMPLY
WITH SEQUA. MAYBE 1554 SERVES AS
A DIRECT APPROACH TO ADDRESSING
SOME OF THE STATE'S MOST
PRESSING ISSUES, WILDFIRES,
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND WATER.
LAST YEAR, I TOOK A TRIP TO
GRIZZLY FLATS. I MET A LADY IN
HER SEVENTIES WHO HAS SHOVELING
SNOW NEXT TO HER TRAILER THAT
SHE LIVED IN AS SHE'S TRYING TO
MAKE A DECISION ON IF SHE'S EVEN
GOING TO REBUILD HER HOUSE. AND
IT'S KIND OF PROBLEMATIC FOR ME
TO THINK THAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE
. SHE HAS TO MAKE THAT DECISION.
WHEN WE COULD HAVE BEEN MANAGING
THE FORESTS AROUND HER HOUSE THE
ENTIRE TIME, AND NOW SHE'S
SLEEPING IN A TRAILER IN THE
MIDDLE OF A SNOWSTORM. SO IT
SHOULDN'T TAKE TWO YEARS AND AS
A RESULT, I JUST WANTED TO GIVEN
OPPORTUNITY TO BRIAN PAULSON
HERE WITH THE ELDORADO
IRRIGATION DISTRICT TO TALK A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT SIMILAR WORK
THEY DID IN PREPARING THIS
DOCUMENT, AND WE COULD HAVE A
COUPLE OF MINUTES. THAT'D BE
GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S PATERSON AND,
UH, THANK YOU, CHAIR BRIAN AND
THE HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THIS
COMMITTEE. MY NAME IS BRIAN
PAULSON. I'M GENERAL COUNSEL AT
ELDORADO IRRIGATION DISTRICT,
WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE
FOOTHILLS NOT TOO FAR FROM HERE.
UM CALIFORNIA, AS YOU KNOW,
FACES ESCALATING THREATS FROM
WILDFIRE. WHICH WE MITIGATE
THROUGH WELL PLANNED FUELS
REDUCTION PROJECTS AS ONE
COMPONENT OF THE STATE'S OVERALL
WILDFIRE STRATEGY. I'D LIKE TO
OFFER THREE REASONS WHY THIS
COMMITTEE SHOULD CONSIDER
EXEMPTING. FUEL REDUCTION
PROJECTS FROM SEQUA. FIRST. FUEL
REDUCTION WITHIN HIGH FIRE
HAZARD SEVERITY ZONES BY ITS
NATURE IS DESIGNED TO ENHANCE
OVERALL ECOSYSTEM HEALTH IN
THESE AREAS. WILDFIRE PRESENTS
ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING
THREATS TO THE ENVIRONMENT
ITSELF. BY REDUCING FIRE FUELS.
WE NOT ONLY SAFEGUARD AGAINST
WILDFIRES, BUT ALSO FOSTER
BIODIVERSITY, PROTECT WATERSHEDS
AND PROMOTE RESILIENT
ECOSYSTEMS. SECOND THE CURRENT
SEQUEL PROCESS AS THE
ASSEMBLYMEMBER'S PATERSON
INDICATED, CAN RESULT IN
SIGNIFICANT DELAYS OF PROJECTS.
UM TO MY LEFT IS A COPY OF THE
ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENT, WHICH
WAS A MITIGATED NEGATIVE
DECLARATION THAT WE ADOPTED FOR
A FIRE FUELS REDUCTION PROJECT
ON OUR FACILITIES LOCATED
ADJACENT TO THE COMMUNITIES THAT
WE SERVE. THE DELAY IN IN IN
CONDUCTING THAT PROJECT NEARLY
THREATENED THE CALIPH. I GRANT
THAT WE RECEIVED TO ACTUALLY
UNDERTAKE THE WORK ITSELF. SO
STREAMLINING THE APPROVAL
PROCESS WILL EXPAND AND ENABLE
THE TIMELY EXECUTION OF PROJECTS
, ENSURING THAT OUR STATE
REMAINS RESILIENT IN THE FACE OF
ESCALATING FIRE THREATS. THIS
EXEMPTION WOULD NOT COMPROMISE
ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS. THIRD
FUELS REDUCTION PROJECTS ARE
ESSENTIAL FOR THE PROTECTION OF
LIVES AND PROPERTY. THE
DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES OF
RECENT WILDFIRES SUCH AS THE
CALDERON FIRE UNDERSCORE THE
URGENCY OF PROACTIVE MEASURES TO
REDUCE FUEL LOADS ON OUR
LANDSCAPES. BY ENACTING
LEGISLATION TO EXEMPT THESE
PROJECTS FROM SEQUA. WE CAN
EXPEDITE THEIR IMPLEMENTATION,
ALLOWING FOR MORE TIMELY AND
EFFECTIVE WILDFIRE PREVENTION.
IN CONCLUSION I URGED THE
COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER ENACTING
THIS LEGISLATION EXEMPTS FUELS
REDUCTION PROJECTS FROM SEQUA.
DOING SO WILL DEMONSTRATE A
COMMITMENT TO THE SAFETY AND
WELL BEING OF OUR COMMUNITIES,
THE PRESERVATION OF OUR
ENVIRONMENT AND THE ECONOMIC
PROSPERITY OF OUR GREAT STATE.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IS
THERE ANYBODY IN THE HEARING
ROOM WHO WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER
THEIR SUPPORT FOR THIS BILL?
NAME ORGANIZATION POSITION ON
THE BILL. GOOD AFTERNOON, MR
CHAIR CHRIS MAKELELE ON BEHALF
OF HUMBOLDT AND MENDOCINO
REDWOOD COMPANIES AND SUPPORT.
THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU,
CHRIS. GOOD AFTERNOON CHAIR AND
REMEMBERS. MY NAME IS PETER
ANSEL FROM THE CALIFORNIA FIRM
BUREAU AND SUPPORT. AFTERNOON
COMMITTEE MEMBERS. I'M TONY
FRENZY WITH PLASTER COUNTY WATER
AGENCY WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER.
EXCUSE ME. REGISTER SUPPORT.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR.
ANYBODY IN THE HEARING ROOM WHO
WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER THEIR
OPPOSITION TO THIS BILL? GOOD
AFTERNOON CHRISTINA SYRINGE WITH
THE CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY AND OPPOSITION TO HB
1554. THIS BILL IS UNNECESSARY
AT BEST AND DAMAGING AT WORST.
IT ATTEMPTS TO EXEMPT FROM
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
ACTIVITIES THAT DO THE LEAST TO
PREVENT WILDFIRE DAMAGE TO
COMMUNITIES THE MOST EFFECTIVE
VEGETATION MANAGEMENT FOR HOME
FIRE SAFETY IS FOR THE AREA
WITHIN 5, FT OF OR AROUND THE
HOME TO ENSURE THERE'S NO
FLAMMABLE VEGETATION TOUCHING
THE HOME PLUS LIGHT PRUNING OF
VEGETATION, REMOVING SMALL
BRANCHES NEEDLES AND LEAVES OUT
TO 60 TO 100 FT. FROM THE HOME.
MOST MEDIUM TO HIGH SEVERITY.
FIRE ZONES ALREADY REQUIRE THIS
AND WE'RE NOT AWARE OF
HOMEOWNERS RUNNING INTO SEQUA
RESTRICTIONS IN PERFORMING THIS
TYPE OF DEFENSIBLE SPACE WORK.
AND HAVING SUCH AN AMENDMENT,
SUCH AS WAS SUGGESTED, COULD
GIVE THE MISTAKEN IMPRESSION
THAT SUCH BARRIERS DO OR MAY
EXIST WHERE THERE ARE NONE IF A
STATE OR LOCAL AGENCY ENGAGES IN
BRUSH CLEARANCE, THEY ALREADY
OFTEN INVOKE A CATEGORICAL
EXEMPTIONS SUCH AS FOR REPAIR,
MAINTENANCE OR MINOR ALTERATIONS
TO LAND IN TERMS OF PROTECTING
COMMUNITIES. COMMUNITIES FROM
WILDFIRE. LOGGING AND THINNING
CAN ACTUALLY HAVE THE OPPOSITE
EFFECT, INCREASING FIRE SPREAD
AND SEVERITY AND ENDANGERING
NEARBY COMMUNITIES. AS WE SAW IN
THE CAMPFIRE, PARADISE AND OTHER
FIRES IMPORTANTLY, THERE SHOULD
BE ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE WHETHER
PARTICULAR PROPOSED FUEL
PRODUCTION. I'M SORRY. PURE
FUELS PRODUCTION FUELS REDUCTION
PRODUCT PROJECTS WOULD ACTUALLY
HAVE THE INTENDED EFFECT. OF
REDUCING COMMUNITY FIRE RISK.
THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF DATA,
INCLUDING MUCH THAT'S PARTICULAR
TO CALIFORNIA FORT FOREST IN
CALIFORNIA FIRES THAT COMMUNITY
HARDENING AND DEFENSIBLE SPACE
ARE BETTER INVESTMENTS TO REDUCE
WILDFIRE RISKS AND BROAD SCALE
THINNING AND LOGGING. THERE'S
ALSO BETTER AND MORE JOB
COMMUNITY JOBS IN THIS AREA.
WE'RE HAPPY TO PROVIDE YOU THE
EXTENSIVE DATA ON THIS. WE'RE
ALSO CONCERNED THAT TRIBES AND
INDIGENOUS FIRE PRACTITIONERS
ARE NOT MENTIONED IN THE BILL,
THEY WOULD HAVE CRUCIAL INSIGHT
INTO BEST PRACTICES FOR CARRYING
OUT AND MITIGATING THE IMPACTS
OF TOOLS THAT COULD WORK SUCH AS
CULTURAL BURNING AND PRESCRIBED
FIRES. NO BILL TO ENCOURAGE
WELFARE MANAGEMENT SHOULD
EXCLUDE THEM FROM THE DECISION
MAKING TABLE. THE EVIDENCE SHOWS
THAT THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO
ADDRESS WHILE VIRUS SAFETY AND
FORESTRY MANAGEMENT. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH AS ANYBODY
ELSE IN THE ROOM WOULD LIKE TO
REGISTER THEIR OPPOSITION NAME
ORGANIZATION POSITION ON THE
BILL. SAYING NONE. MR PATTERSON,
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CLOSE? WELL
THANK YOU, MR CHAIRMAN, I REALLY
APPRECIATE IT. UM AH, YOU KNOW,
JUST A COUPLE OF COMMENTS. UH
MANY MOST OF THE AREA IN WHICH
QATAR FIRE BURNED, FOR EXAMPLE.
THERE ARE NO STRUCTURES AROUND
IT. PEOPLE AREN'T GOING TO BE
OUT THERE, CLEARING 5 FT FROM
THEIR STRUCTURES BECAUSE THERE
ARE NO STRUCTURES. UNFORTUNATELY
MAJOR PART OF THE, UM UH, FORCE
WAS BURNED BECAUSE IT WAS TOO
THICK. THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE.
UH UM. AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO
COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS WITH
THAT, AND I APPRECIATE I
OBVIOUSLY WE'VE TALKED OVER THE
LAST YEAR WITH THIS WITH
COMMITTEE STAFF AND PREVIOUS
CHAIRMAN, UM CHAIRWOMAN, AND I
APPRECIATE THE AMENDMENTS THAT
WERE OFFERED. I WILL SAY I WANT.
I APPRECIATE REALLY THE HEARING
BECAUSE I WANTED AN OPPORTUNITY
TO TALK ABOUT. HOW IMPORTANT IT
WE HAVE TO CUT SOME OF THIS RED
TAPE. THERE'S NO REASON WE
SHOULD HAVE TO DO 477 PAGES AND
TWO YEARS OF ANALYSIS TO SAY
WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW. AND THAT'S
THE FOREST IS TOO DENSE. IT
NEEDS TO BE MANAGED, AND WE HAVE
AGENCIES OUT THERE LIKE E I D
LIKE PCCW A THAT ARE WILLING TO
DO IT ON THEIR OWN DIME. AND WE
NEED TO GIVE THEM THE
OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. AND SO
I'D BE. I'D LOVE TO WORK WITH
THE COMMITTEE AND STAFF TO FIND
A WAY TO CUT SOME OF THAT RED
TAPE. MAYBE A SEQUEL EXEMPTION.
UH LIKE PROPOSING THE BILLS AND
THE RIGHT ONE. BUT IF THERE'S
SOMETHING WE CAN DO TO HELP CUT
DOWN THAT TIMELINE AND MAYBE
REDUCE THIS TO LIKE 100 PAGES.
UM THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING I'D
BE WILLING TO ENTERTAIN. SO UM,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE
HEARING, AND I APPRECIATE THE
TIME. ANY QUESTIONS FROM
COMMITTEE MEMBERS COMMENTS, MR
MURATSUCHI. THANK YOU, UM UM.
THIS IS MY 10TH YEAR IN THE
LEGISLATURE, AND, UM, I'VE HEARD
A LOT OF ARGUMENTS. I'VE BEEN
TWO TOURS AND, UM HI. UH, AH
DENSITY TIMBER AREAS AND MY
OVERALL TAKEAWAY IS THAT I THINK
YOU HAVE A POINT THAT WE NEED TO
STREAMLINE THE PROCESS TO BE
ABLE TO ENGAGE IN FOREST
THINNING SO THAT WE CAN TRY TO
MITIGATE WILDFIRE RISKS THAT ARE
CONTRIBUTING TREMENDOUSLY TO THE
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS THAT IS
AFFECTING OUR EFFORTS TO FIGHT
CLIMATE CHANGE. UM SO I WANTED
TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I THINK YOU
HAVE A POINT THAT WE DO NEED TO
WORK ON STREAMLINING THE PROCESS
. I HAVE INTRODUCED BILLS WORKED
WITH THE HUMBOLDT REDWOOD
COMPANY AND OTHERS TO WHAT TO
TRY TO STREAMLINE THE PROCESS. I
KNOW THAT MR WOOD REPRESENTS
PROBABLY MORE WILDFIRE PRONE OR
AT LEAST FORESTRY AREAS THAN
THAN ANY OTHER MEMBER OF THE
LEGISLATURE. PERHAPS MISS DOLLY.
UM BUT, UM. YEAH I THINK THAT
YOUR PROPOSAL HERE IS JUST TOO
BROAD. I WOULD SUPPORT SOMETHING
THAT WOULD GO BEYOND DEFENSIBLE
SPACE. UH IN TERMS OF WILDFIRE
MITIGATION, STREAMLINING EFFORTS
. UM BUT AS YOUR BILL IS DRAFTED
HERE TODAY, I CANNOT SUPPORT
YOUR BILL. THANKS. THANK YOU, MR
MURATSUCHI, MR FLORA. THANK YOU
CHAIR. UM TO THE OPPOSITION, I
MIGHT ACTUALLY TAKE YOU UP. ON
YOUR OFFER OF BRINGING SOME OF
THAT DATA. UM I WOULD LOVE TO
SEE THAT BECAUSE I HAD THE
PRIVILEGE OF WORKING FOR THE
STATE AS A FIREFIGHTER FOR A
NUMBER OF YEARS AND HAVE, UM, 20
YEARS IN THE FIRE SERVICE IN
VARIOUS FORMS. AND THERE ARE
THREE THINGS THAT SUSTAINED FIRE
AND ITS OXYGEN, ITS FUEL AND
IGNITION. AND SO THIS IDEA THAT
A REDUCTION OF FUEL DOES NOT
IMPROVE FIRE BEHAVIOR. I JUST
I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THAT. UM I
JUST SIMPLY SO IF THERE'S DATA
THAT PROVES ME WRONG, I WOULD
LOVE TO SEE THAT. BUT EVERYTHING
THAT WE'RE TEACHING IN THE FIRE
ACADEMIES SAYS DIRECTLY OPPOSITE
OF THAT. AND SO JUST PLEASE KEEP
THAT IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND
LIKE WHEN WE HAVE TREES THAT ARE
CANOPIES. THEY'RE TOUCHING. LIKE
IN YOU GOTTA HOUSE UNDERNEATH
THAT CANOPY. WE MAY HAVE 5 FT.
AROUND THAT HOUSE, WHICH IS
GOOD. THAT'S A GOOD START. BUT
WHEN IT'S RIPPING ACROSS THE
CANOPY 5 FT ON THE GROUND ISN'T
GONNA MATTER. SO I WOULD JUST
LOVE THAT DATA BECAUSE I MEAN,
THIS IS AND I APPRECIATE THE
AUTHOR BEING OPEN MINDED RIGHT
AND LET'S LET'S HAVE A
CONVERSATION WITH COMMITTEE
STAFF. AND THESE ARE TOUGH BILLS
IN THIS COMMITTEE. WE KNOW THIS,
BUT I THINK THERE IS A BALANCE
HERE THAT I THINK WE COULD FIND.
SO PLEASE. UM, I WOULD LOVE YOU
TO DROP IT OFF MY OFFICE BECAUSE
I'D LOVE THAT INFORMATION. THANK
YOU. APPRECIATE IT. SAYING NO
FURTHER. LET'S DO THANK YOU, MR
CHAIR. I JUST WANT TO THANK
BRIEFLY. THANK THE AUTHOR FOR
BRINGING THIS BILL FORWARD. YOU
KNOW, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE
EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND
HOW THEY ARE. INTENSIFYING THESE
FIRES ACROSS OUR STATE. I THINK
IT'S TIME THAT YOU KNOW AS
LAWMAKERS, WE ACTUALLY MAKE SOME
CHANGES TO HELP ADAPT TO THE
CLIMATE CHANGE THAT WE'RE SEEING
IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND THAT ARE
IMPACTING THE INTENSITY OF THESE
FIRES. AND I ALSO JUST THINK,
YOU KNOW, I LIKE THIS BILL
BECAUSE I THINK THE NET
POSITIVE, ISN'T IT THAT THE NET
IMPACT IS A POSITIVE FOR THE
ENVIRONMENT, RIGHT? IF WE CAN
REDUCE THE FIRES THAT ARE
HAPPENING IN OUR STATE, WE ARE
REDUCING THE CARBON THAT IS
GETTING RELEASED INTO THE
ATMOSPHERE. I THINK THAT'S A
GOOD THING FOR OUR CLIMATE. AND
SO I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR
BRINGING THIS BILL FORWARD AND
SPARKING THIS CONVERSATION SO
THAT WE CAN AND I LOOK FORWARD
TO SEEING THIS BILL. MOVE
FORWARD. THANKS. THANK YOU
SEEING NO OTHER COMMENTS FROM
COMMITTEE MEMBERS, MR PATTERSON.
THIS WAS FOR PRESENTATION. ONLY.
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE
CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD IN MY
SHORT STAND HERE AS CHAIR. I
KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS
FOR A LONG TIME. I KNOW THAT
THERE'S BEEN GOOD BIPARTISAN
PROGRESS. AND SO WE'RE GONNA
HOLD THIS BILL IN COMMITTEE
TODAY SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE
THAT PROGRESS AND GET TO A
VERSION THAT'S GOING TO MAKE THE
KIND OF DIFFERENCE THAT WE ALL
WOULD LIKE TO SEE. SO THANK YOU
AGAIN FOR PRESENTING TODAY.
GREAT THANK YOU FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY, MR. CHAIRMAN. THANK
YOU. MADAM SECRETARY, CAN WE
OPEN THE ROLE FOR ABSENT MEMBERS
ON THE VOTE ONLY BUILT BY MR
SAILING? BEEN 397 IS SILLY. THE
MOTIONS DO PASS THROUGH
APPROPRIATIONS CHAIR, VOTING, NO
ABSENT MEMBERS, HOOVER I, ER I
WIX WIX NÓ. THAT BILL FAILS 3 TO
6, AND WITH THAT THE FIRST
NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE
HEARING OF THIS YEAR IS
CONCLUDED, RIGHT? GET OUT HERE.